In our last episode we brought you interesting legends from around the world. But today our stories are all from one island. Welcome back…
Join us today as we present eight great stories from the island of Great Britain. This is Season 5 Episode 12: LEGENDS & LORE: PART 2
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INTRO AND STORIES |
INTRO As we said in our last episode, we all love a good story. Myths, lore, old wives’ tales and even urban legends are important parts of our culture. Often, they contain what are perceived as important morals, warnings, or lessons. But beyond that, they’re also good fun! From a website called livescience.com we find this quote by Mikel J. Koven, a folklorist at the University of Wales. "Life is so much more interesting with monsters in it, it’s the same with these legends. They're just good stories."
And, as we mentioned last time, we searched dozens of sites in our attempts to mine the most interesting legends to bring to you. When we accumulated our favorites, we noticed that about half of them originated from Great Britain in either England or Scotland. OK, quick geography lesson. Americans tend to use UK, Britain, and England as if they are all the same, but this isn’t quite accurate. The island of Great Britain includes the areas known as England, Wales, and Scotland. The UK includes these three plus Northern Ireland. So, it is appropriate to call a Scotsman or a Welshman British, but don’t you dare call them English. Though they have been united since 1704, they each have very strong and distinct regional pride and identity. Perhaps those centuries of fighting and strife have made this island fertile ground for the growth of stunning legends and captivating lore.
The Melrose Vampire
Our first story also takes place in Scotland in the beautiful town of Melrose which is located just south of Edinburgh (Edin-burah) near the border with England. Melrose is a popular destination for tourists who come for hiking, biking, and fishing. But the top two reasons tourists come is because of the abandoned Melrose Abbey and of course the vampire that, legend has it, still roams the grounds of the Abbey at night.
Melrose Abbey was founded in 1136 AD by an order of Cistercian monks. For a couple of centuries, it thrived as a spiritual and agricultural community. However, in 1385 the Abbey was ransacked by the invading English. It was rebuilt in the following century, but it never fully regained its previous grandeur. According to travelthruhistory.com the lichen covered ruins of Melrose Abbey are among the most beautiful to be found in Europe.
Ah, but you don’t really care about the ruins, do you. “What about that vampire?” you scream. Well, let’s get to that. Back in the Abbey’s heyday there was a chaplain who was, “fond of all manners of sin and vice.” He was then nicknamed ‘Hundeprest’ meaning ‘Dog Priest’ supposedly because of his favorite sport of hunting on horseback followed by a small pack of howling hounds. At least that’s what they told him it meant. However, historian John Lang writes, “Other things he also loved that made not for sanctity, and when, at last, he died, his death was no more holy that his selfish, sensual life had been.” Thus, he was not mourned by anyone!
According to legend, when he died, he was punished for his sinful lifestyle. His soul could not find peace and thus his ghastly form roams the streets of Melrose at night in search of blood, which did not sit well with the locals. Some even claimed that the dead chaplain would come out of his grave at night in the form of a bat and terrorize the local population.
The local monks decided to help out by spying on his grave overnight. Sure enough, one night they saw him in the guise of a vampire and appeared to levitate out of the deep grave, pushing gravestone asunder. The eldest monk took his staff and beat the vampire again and again. Then the grave suddenly opened with a terrible sound and the ‘Hunderprest’ was swallowed back in its deep pit. After the grave had opened and enveloped the priest in the warm earth, it had returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened.
The elder monk knew then that he was dealing with a true vampire. He directed that at dawn the monks should open the grave and take out the casket. At the first light of dawn the digging began. Sure enough when the casket was opened the Hunderprest lay grinning from ear to ear, the blood of his victims still on his lips. Then the elder monk ordered his companions to remove the body and place it on the ground; then to burn it and scatter the ashes in the gusty winds.
And that was that. No more vampire! Or was it? Today the townspeople of Melrose claim that on certain nights they can still hear a muted scream emanating from the ruins of the old abbey.
King Alfred and the Beggar
Any student of history can tell you that the map of Europe has been in constant flux for the past 2,500 years. Originally the continent was made of small settlements that grew into city states which were cities and the immediate areas around them. In time these city states began fighting one another. One would conquer its neighbor, and then be conquered by another neighbor. These growing areas became kingdoms and empires. War upon war continually changed the borders. Unfortunately, this is still occurring as in February of 2022 Ukraine was invaded by Russia and that struggle continues.
Back in the year 886 A.D. a fellow named Alfred was the king of an area of Great Britain called Saxony. But then those dreaded Vikings from Denmark showed up and chased him off his throne and out of his kingdom. Alfred and his wife and a servant took refuge in a modest cabin on a small island. One day when most of the island’s inhabitants were out fishing, a beggar came to King Alfred’s door asking for food.
The king called the servant, and asked, “How much food have we in the house?” “My lord,” said the servant, “we have only one loaf and a little wine.” Then the king gave thanks to God, and said, “Give half of the loaf and half of the wine to this poor man.” The servant did as he was told. The beggar thanked the king for his kindness and went on his way.
When the rest of the island’s inhabitants came back from fishing, they marveled at the astonishingly large catch they had made. They shared the bounty with King Alfred and his wife and servant.
When night came, the king lay awake for a long time, and thought about the things that had happened that day. At last, he thought that he saw a great light like the sun; and in the midst of the light there stood an old man with black hair, holding an open book in his hand. It may all have been a dream, and yet to the king it seemed very real indeed. He looked and wondered but was not afraid.
“Who are you?” he asked of the old man.
“Alfred, my son, be brave,” said the man; “for I am the one to whom you gave this day the half of all the food that you had. Be strong and joyful of heart and listen to what I say. Rise up early in the morning and blow your horn three times, so loudly that the Danes may hear it. By nine o’clock, five hundred men will be around you ready to be led into battle. Go forth bravely, and within seven days your enemies shall be beaten, and you shall go back to your kingdom to reign in peace.”
In the morning the king arose early and crossed over to the mainland. Then he blew his horn three times very loudly; and when his friends heard it they were glad, but the Danes were filled with fear. At nine o’clock, five hundred of his bravest soldiers stood around him ready for battle. He spoke and told them what he had seen and heard in his dream. When he had finished, they all cheered loudly, and said that they would follow him and fight for him so long as they had strength.
So, they went out bravely to battle; and they beat the Danes and drove them back. In fact, they not only drove them out of Saxony, but also out of the neighboring region called Anglia. Thus in 886 A.D. Alfred became king of the Anglos and the Saxons and took on the new title Alfred the Great.
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The Sanctuary Knocker
Durham is a fascinating medieval city on England’s northeast coast. Though it boasts a fine university and an interesting bridge over the River Wear (we’re), it is best known for its ancient cathedral. The Durham Cathedral opened in 1133 as a Catholic Church but was converted to an Anglican Church after Henry VIII confiscated all Catholic properties in England. The church is recognizable to Harry Potter fans as the first two movies in this series were filmed here.
But there is a unique feature of this ancient cathedral, its knocker. On the main door entering the cathedral is an exceptionally frightening looking knocker. The design is based on a medieval ‘Hellmouth’ image, designed to frighten away evil, and shows the head of a lion eating a man. The man’s legs hang out of the lion’s mouth and a double-headed snake bites his feet, forming the handle. The original knocker which weighed about 80 lbs. is as old as the cathedral. It was replaced in 1980 by a copy with the original going to the Durham Cathedral Museum. But the original had a unique purpose.
It became known as the Sanctuary Knocker or Sanctuary Ring. No, that’s not what you’d bang when you wanted to enter the sanctuary of the church, it’s what you knocked when you wanted to gain asylum within the church for protection. Any person who had been accused of a heinous crime, such as murder in self-defense or escaping a jail sentence, could use the knocker to be given sanctuary within the cathedral for 37 days.
According to the Cathedral’s website www.durhamcathedral.co.uk when a fugitive claimed sanctuary at Durham, they would be given a black gown with a yellow cross on the shoulder, marking them out as under the protection of the Church and Saint Cuthbert. Once inside, asylum-seekers were to use their time to reconcile, prove their innocence, or plan their escape. They were housed in a small room below the southwest tower of the cathedral and given food and drink. After 37 days, the fugitive had to decide whether to face trial, or go into exile. If they chose exile, they had to promise to leave England and never return again.
The right of sanctuary was abolished by an act of Parliament in the early 1600s, so the practice of banging the knocker for a respite went by the wayside. Nevertheless, the Durham Sanctuary Ring is a unique survivor among English door rings of this time, and is a reminder of a time when fugitives could receive a 37 day respite from justice. Information from this section came from the Durham Cathedral website mentioned above and also Atlas Obscura.
The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan Castle
Just off of the northwest coast of Scotland you will find the beautiful Isle of Skye, home to Dunvegan Castle. Built in the 1200s Dunvegan is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and is the home of the MacLeod Clan. In fact, the current owner is the 30th Chieftain of the MacLeod Clan.
Inside the castle’s drawing room is a most unusual piece of fabric. Known as the Am Bratach Sith or The Fairy Flag, it is a piece of silk believed to have been woven in the Middle East sometime in the 4th century AD. Exactly how this ancient piece of refined silk from the Middle East came to reside with the MacLeod Clan is unknown, but there are several stories. The first has to do with an evil spirit’s undergarment.
A MacLeod on a crusade to the Holy Land received food and shelter from a hermit in a mountain pass. The hermit warned him that an evil spirit, a destroyer of true believers, guarded the pass and that he needed a piece of the True Cross to proceed. However, the MacLeod slew the spirit who was known as the Daughter of Thunder. Before she died, she revealed to him the future of his clan, directing him to take her girdle and make a banner of it and to make a staff of her spear.
Then there is the fairy version part one
One night when there was a feast being held at Dunvegan, a nurse put the Chief’s son in his cradle in the Fairy Tower and joined the party in the Keep. The baby became restless and kicked off his blanket, whereupon a Fairy came to comfort him, wrapping him in a silken shawl. When the nurse collected the child and brought it down in his fairy robe, the room became filled with the sound of unseen singers singing the Fairy Lullaby.
And now the fairy version part 2
Once upon a time, a fairy married a MacLeod Chief. They lived together for one year and one day after which the fairy had to return to fairyland. They parted company at Fairy Bridge near Dunvegan. As a farewell present, she gave him the banner telling him that whenever he was hard-pressed in battle, waving it would bring victory whatever the odds. She warned him, however, that it would only produce this magic three times.
This final version appears to be the favorite of the MacLeod Clan. They point to the fact that during two different clan wars the Chief waved the Fairy Flag which helped secure their victory. These occurred in 1490 and 1520 against the dreaded MacDonalds. During World War II, pilots from the MacLeod Clan carried pictures of the flag as a good luck charm. Dame Flora, the 28th Chieftain’s wife, reportedly offered to wave the flag on the white cliffs of Dover to harness its power to repel the German invasion. Whatever the truth, the Chief and the clan have a profound respect for the Fairy Flag and its mystical power.
In the early 1900s Sir Reginold MacLeod the 27th Chieftain carried the flag to London to have it preserved by the curators at the Victoria and Albert Museum. One curator named Mr. Wace was expounding on his theory that the flag was captured by the Viking Harold Hadrada who was an ancestor of the MacLeod Clan. Evidently Harold conducted raids in the eastern Mediterranean and was rumored to have brought a famous flag back to Britain in 1066. Sir Reginald listened politely and said: “Mr. Wace, you may believe that, but I know that it was given to my ancestor by the fairies”, to which Mr. Wace replied “Sir Reginald, I bow to your superior knowledge”.
This information came from historicuk.com and from Dunvegan Castle’s website dunvegancastle.com. The castle is open for tours.
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The Ravens of the Tower of London
The Tower of London is one of the world's most famous and spectacular fortresses. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1066 and has been modified and expanded numerous times over the years. During its 900-year history it has been a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, mint, arsenal, zoo and treasure house. It is the location where several of Henry VIII’s wives met their final fate.
But there is a unique custom associated with the Tower of London that you might not be aware of. Stories of the executed and imprisoned are certainly interesting, but visitors also enjoy finding out about the ravens who have lived there for many centuries and have now become established as part of the history of this iconic London building.
Evidently back in the 1660s the Royal Astronomer named John Flamstead complained to King Charles II that the presence of ravens made it difficult for him to complete his work at the Royal Observatory located within the Tower of London. The king was about to issue an edict to get rid of the ravens when he received a warning, evidently by some mystic though history did not record who gave the warning. The warning was something to the effect that if the ravens were forced out of the Tower of London that both the Tower and the entire monarchy would crumble and a great disaster would engulf the kingdom. Thus, King Charles II issued an edict that at least six ravens must be maintained within the Tower of London at all times.
This tradition carries forth to this day as a team of Raven Masters sees to the seven (six required plus one spare) ravens that reside in the tower today. Their names are Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Merlina. One of their wings is clipped to prevent them from flying away. They are fed a healthy diet of 6oz. of raw meat and bird formula biscuits soaked in blood each day. For a special treat they are given a rabbit with its fur still attached as the fur is evidently healthy for ravens.
Occasionally a raven has to be dismissed from service due to poor behavior. In 1986 a raven named George was sent to the Welsh Mountain Zoo from the tower because he kept attacking communications antennas. The statement that accompanied George read, “Conduct unsatisfactory, service therefore no longer required.”
Ravens can live quite long lives. The longest raven at the Tower of London lived for 44 years.
Fun fact: What do you call a group of ravens? An unkindness of ravens.
The Royal Bees
This story also has a monarchy – animal connection. You might recall in September of 2022 the death of Queen Elizabeth. This remarkable woman reigned on the British throne for over seventy years, one of the longest reigning monarchs in the history of the world. She was certainly one of the most respected people in the world. I maintain that part of the reason she was so respected was that during WWII when she was Princess Elizabeth, she didn’t have a princess mentality. She didn’t hide in the palace, but rather was out and about making a tangible contribution to the war effort. When she was 18, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary, learned how to be a mechanic, and became a truck and ambulance driver. Whenever a section of London was bombed, she was there the next morning with her father King George VI to lend a hand in the cleanup and to offer encouragement to those impacted. People adored her because she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.
In the days after her passing, well deserved accolades poured in from around the world. But in all of that outpouring there was one bit of important information that you might not have noticed. The Royal Beekeeper made a public announcement that the palace hives had been informed of Her Majesty’s death. What?
According to mentalfloss.com, the custom of telling the bees about a death in the household has been going on for centuries. It’s been recorded throughout the United Kingdom, as well as parts of France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Even in the New England states of the U.S. beehives are still informed by their keepers of certain family events, particularly a death. It is common for the beehive to be draped in black material during the period of mourning.
No one is exactly certain exactly how or when the practice of informing bees about a death in the family originated, but it appears to be quite ancient. Bees and honey were vitally important to the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks. The Old Testament of the Bible makes numerous mentions of bees and honey.
Honey was utilized in the burial customs and funeral rites of many ancient civilizations. King Tut was found buried with a sealed jar of honey. The ancient philosopher Herodotus recorded that in the 5th century BC the Babylonians buried their dead in honey. (I believe that this was part of an ODJ in an earlier season) Honey’s antimicrobial property may have aided in the preservation of corpses. Known as mellification, the process was remarkably effective at slowing the process of decay. It is reported that Alexander the Great ordered that his body be buried in honey.
In addition to honey, the bees themselves were also seen by ancient peoples as messengers from beyond the grave. The Egyptians as well as the Celts considered bees as intermediaries between this world and the next. When Christianity swept through the Roman Empire many previous customs were integrated into the new faith. For early Christians, the concept of bees as selfless, hardworking, and willing to sacrifice everything for the good of their greater community made them a model of human virtue. Beeswax candles were commonly used in early Christian churches and cathedrals. Several prominent saints from the Middle Ages were closely associated with beekeeping. So, you can see that there is a well-established connection between bees and the afterlife, and thus somewhere along the way the practice of informing the hive of a death in the household became commonplace.
During those same Middle Ages, it was common for those involved in agriculture to engage in ritual and tradition in efforts to influence the outcome for an abundant crop or healthy livestock. Most of these have since fallen by the wayside, but according to an author named Mark Norman who was quoted in the mentalfloss.com article, beekeepers tend to be traditionalists. “There are a lot of rituals in beekeeping,” he explains. “Apiarists are a particular folk that have well established customs.” Evidently beekeepers follow these ancient customs for that sense of community and tradition which includes informing the hive of a death in the family.
For more fun information about bees check out our S4E8 titled Bees Knees.
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Ornamental Hermits
You have probably seen pictures of European palaces and castles with immaculately groomed lawns and artistically sculptured gardens. This was the common practice from the 1500s through the 1600s. But in the early 1700s a different style emerged. According to Smithsonian.org there was a shift from perfectly pruned, geometrically aligned gardens to wild, untamed ones in which “the irregularities and asymmetry of nature were charmingly inspirational.” That quote came from an author named Todd Longstaffe-Gowan who is a landscape architect. He also stated that aristocrats outfitted their new landscape gardens with unexpected, whimsical elements like caves, mountains, aviaries and menageries. Again, quoting Longstaffe-Gowan, “But eclipsing them all was the hermitage, a secluded retreat for a real or imagined hermit.”
A real or imagined hermit?
You heard that correctly. The years between 1727 to 1830 are known among landscape architects as the Ornamental Hermit Craze. What is an ornamental hermit? Well, it could be a manikin dressed up to look like a hermit and placed in a location near the entrance of a cave or grotto to give your garden that whimsical effect. However, some British landowners weren’t content with having a fake hermit, they wanted a real one!
Hermits have been around for centuries. They are individuals who have withdrawn from society to pursue spiritual, intellectual, or philosophical pursuits. While some lived in complete seclusion others made themselves available to dispense wisdom and advice to any who would call upon them. Hermits who were well known for their spiritual insights were called Oracles.
So why would an Englishman want a hermit living in his garden? To make it more authentic, of course! “Nothing, it was felt, could give such delight to the eye as the spectacle of an aged person, with a long gray beard and a goatish rough robe, doddering about amongst the discomforts and pleasures of nature,” wrote British poet Edith Sitwell. The style became known as Garden Follies.
How does one go about finding a live hermit? Advertising for one in the newspaper was the solution for many. In 1750 Charles Hamilton, an aristocrat and member of Parliament posted the following advertisement. “Seeking out an individual who will live for seven years on my estate. He must be silent, never speaking to the servants who bring him his daily meals. He must wear a goat’s hair robe and never cut his hair, nails or beard. Shoes are out of the question.” If the hermit fulfilled the terms of the contract, never leaving the estate for seven years, he would receive the sum equivalent to about $100,000 in today’s money.
Mr. Remington (first name unknown), applied and was hired to fill the role, but he didn’t last very long. Three weeks after arriving, he was discovered drinking at a local pub—or so the legend goes. Nevertheless, it does appear that several hermits did take the offers of wealthy landowners to live in their hermitage and function as a curiosity for their party guests.
Some hermits became well known tourist attractions. One of the most famous English garden hermits, Father Francis, lived at diplomat Richard Hill’s estate in the 1780s. Visitors delighted in seeing the wise old hermit seated in front of a table topped with the tools of his trade, including spectacles, a book, an hourglass and a skull (we don’t know why a skull was one of his tools). When Francis, who was believed to be near 90, was asleep or otherwise indisposed he was replaced by a stuffed manikin dressed like a druid.
The Garden Hermit craze was localized only to the UK. The fad didn’t appear to carry over to the rest of Europe. By the early 19th century, ornamental hermits had fallen out of favor, in part due to abolitionists’ concerns over the exploitative conditions under which these recluses lived. However, the hermit lifestyle has not disappeared as a small number of individuals continue to live separately from society, whether for religious, cultural or personal reasons.
The Stone of Destiny
You may have been watching on May 6th of this year when King Charles III was crowned as the King of England. The coronation ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey. During the ceremony King Charles sat in the ancient King Edward’s Chair which contains a 335 pound boulder called the Stone of Destiny; a k a the Stone of Scone.
The origins of this treasured stone are murky, but what is known is that it was part of the coronation ceremony of Scottish kings until the year 1296 when it was stolen by England. It has since been part of British coronations. However, legend has it that the stone actually came from Palestine and was used by the Old Testament prophet Jacob as a pillow. A group of killjoy scientists cast doubt on that theory saying that the sandstone rock most likely originated in Scotland, rather than the Middle East. Nevertheless, it is among the most prized treasures of the nation.
One of my favorite movies is the 2010 film The King’s Speech. In this movie England’s King George VI sought the aid of a speech therapist and amateur actor named Lionel Logue to help him manage his stammer. One of our favorite scenes is when Logue is helping King George to prepare for his coronation speech. The king is struggling with his stammer until he turns and sees Logue sitting on the stone in King Edward's Chair. King George flies into a profanity laced rage telling Logue that he had no right to sit there. Logue then points out that George did not stammer one bit during his rage.
Exactly how long the Stone of Destiny has been in use is unknown, but the Scottish claim that their kings were crowned on it as far back as the 9th Century. It has been part of every British coronation since the late 1300s. As mentioned earlier the stone is also known as the Stone of Scone. Scone Castle, some 33 miles north of Edinburgh was the location where Scottish kings were coronated before Scotland was defeated by England. In fact, many believe that the stone was actually cut from the sandstone hills in that region.
From 1296 until 1996 the stone was kept at Westminster Abbey except for a brief period in the early 1950s when four Scottish youths slipped into the Abbey in the middle of the night, dragged it across the floor, and drove off with it. A few days later it turned up at Arbroath Abbey in Scotland. Fortunately, it was returned in time for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. In 1996 on the 700th anniversary of England’s stealing it, the stone was returned to Scotland. Today it resides in Edinburgh Castle but is transported to London for the occasion of a coronation.
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O U T R O |
Phil here reminding you to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages @RemnantStewPodcast. Drop us an email at StayCurious@RemnantStew.com just to say hi or to let us know about any topics you would like to hear us cover in an upcoming episode.
Remnant Stew is part of Rook & Raven Ventures and is created by me, Leah Lamp. Steve Meeker researches and writes each episode that we then host together. Our audio producer is Phillip Sinquefield. The Oddity Du Jour is brought to you by Sam Lamp. Theme music is by Kevin MacLeod with voiceover by Morgan Hughes. Special thanks goes out to Judy Meeker. For a complete list of sources for this episode please see this episode’s transcript, there’s a link in the show notes.
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Until next time remember to choose to be kind…AND ALWAYS STAY CURIOUS!
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https://travelthruhistory.com/legend-of-the-hunderprest-vampire-of-melrose-abbey/
https://www.worldfolklore.net/king-alfred-and-the-beggar/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sanctuary-knocker
https://www.dunvegancastle.com/castle/fairy-flag/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Fairy-Flag-of-the-MacLeods/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Tower-Ravens/
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/the-ravens/#gs.ap5ne8
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/telling-the-bees-death
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/stone-of-scone-british-coronation
